hydrogen

Hydrogen economy

In an (as-yet-hypothetical) hydrogen economy, the energy needed for motive power (for automobiles and other vehicle types) or electricity (for stationary applications) is derived from reacting hydrogen (H2) with oxygen. By eliminating the use of carbon-based fossil fuels, a hydrogen economy would sharply reduce the emission of carbon dioxide, which would play a role in man-made global warming. As an energy carrier, hydrogen could substitute for dwindling supplies of petroleum and provide energy independence to countries without oil resources.
In the context of a hydrogen economy, hydrogen is an energy storage medium, not a primary energy source (see nuclear fusion for an entirely separate discussion of using hydrogen isotopes as an atomic energy source). Nevertheless, controversy over the usefulness of a hydrogen economy have been confused by issues of energy sourcing, including fossil fuel use, global warming, and sustainable energy generation. These are all separate issues, although the hydrogen economy affects them all (see below).
Proponents of a hydrogen economy suggest that hydrogen is an environmentally cleaner source of energy to end-users, particularly in transportation applications, without release of pollutants (such as particulate matter) or greenhouse gases at the point of end use. Analyses have concluded that "most of the hydrogen supply chain pathways would release significantly less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than would gasoline used in hybrid electric vehicles" and that significant reductions in carbon dioxide emissions would be possible if carbon capture or carbon sequestration methods are utilized at the site of energy or hydrogen production.[1]
Critics of a hydrogen economy argue that for many planned applications of hydrogen, direct distribution and use of energy in the form of electricity, or alternate means of storage such as chemical batteries, fuel plus fuel cells, or production of liquid synthetic fuels from CO2 (see methanol economy), might accomplish many of the same net goals of a hydrogen economy, while requiring only a small fraction of the investment in new infrastructure.[2] Hydrogen has been called the least efficient and most expensive possible replacement for gasoline (petrol).[3][4] A comprehensive study of hydrogen in transportation applications has found that "there are major hurdles on the path to achieving the vision of the hydrogen economy; the path will not be simple or straightforward".[1]